Days 10-16 -at sea

Well, today is the seventh of our 7 sea days en route from Cape Verde to Walvis Bay, Namibia. To say it has become something of a slog would not be an understatement! We have had a couple of fairly dull, flat days, when the idea of land seemed like a distant dream and the daily routine of painting, lunch, deck walks, swimming and dinner, interspersed with the odd show, has become sadly monotonous. However with it being my birthday yesterday things started to look up, with my lovely husband making it a special day with a beautiful bracelet, flowers and a fabulous dinner in the Steakhouse. And along the way we have learned various things about the sea and our surroundings.

The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt

Over the last week, we have been noticing the miles long trails of floating brown seaweed that we keep sailing through. It turns out to be Sargassum and its growth has exploded across the Atlantic Ocean, fed by increasing sea temperatures and soya farming in the Amazon and the Mississippi, which dumps tons of nitrogen and phosphorus into the ocean. Known as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, it is even visible from space. And whilst it provides sanctuary for dozens of sea species including turtles, when a bank of it beaches on some idyllic Caribbean beach, it causes havoc, stifling everything, killing beach fauna and flora and stinking as it rots! 🫢

Why is it not warmer?

Although we have experienced temperatures of up to 25/26 degrees, we were slightly surprised that it hasn’t been hotter, especially as we crossed the equator a few days ago and we are sailing into late summer in the southern hemisphere. The answer to this conundrum is the prevailing conditions of the coast of south west Africa. The first factor is the Benguela Current – a tidal current that flows north from Antarctic bringing with it cold water. The second factor is the ‘Upwelling’, the strong southeasterly winds which blow warm surface water away from the coast and allow cold, nutrient rich water to rise. These conditions maintain mild temperatures and frequently cause a veil of mist which hovers over the surface of the sea. By contrast the east coast of Africa is warmed by the Mozambique/Agulhas Current, so we look forward to more sun and more heat! 😎